Reviews:
Tigracho: I think losing her arms and being sliced up on her side is a good price to pay if she means she won't die like the other 3 lol. Well...if she hadn't blown the horn herself, it wouldn't be so bad. But she did when Hazuki was in no position to do it himself. But yeah, all of them just wanted that world. Except for Yomi and Bragard. Yeah, first Elsa now Tsubasa. Everyone keeps losing their arms.
Ryugen: White, huh? The purest of colors. It could be a good choice. Black and white unite and become one. Yeah, Hazuki tends to freak out when he's against the ropes. Now he doesn't have someone else to hide behind to protect himself. For sure, Hajime will crush his ambitions. But not before beating him up. Well, the majority of SONG is injured and a few of them are in critical condition. It depends if they absolutely have to help Hajime if he's losing or if he's winning so they can give Hazuki the final blow. Yeah, they'll become one. Dragblacker is just a creation of Loki using Dragreder's powers. But it has also become its own entity so it'll gain his power of darkness and black fire. Interesting evolution for their combined Gates. How would this one be different?
FlameFireZero X: It would suck to be Hazuki. You just find out you lost all of your allies and you're potentially close to failing your life-long ambition. Now it's up to Hajime to take him down.
Lord RI Husbu King: Yeah, Setsuna's case was just a spiral of things going wrong all the time. At the end of the day, Hajime is still a kid and Hazuki has a god complex with the idea of making something better for all. The two brothers are obviously not completely okay. But you're right. This was an emotional fight. Fun fact, they could have won earlier but it would involve killing Setsuna. Setsuna is one of the weaker members, so they had to hold back on their attacks. Even if they broke her out of the darkness, she still killed a lot of people. So that will be not fun to deal with.
Caballero lector rojo: Meh, al final decidi con nada de peleas finales con los dioses. Seria muy repetitivo ya que tienen los mismos poderes que sus formas Rider. Nuestros heroes estan peleando para el futuro del mundo, razon que los impulsa para ganar. No hay otra oportunidad. Ahora quedan los dragones. El ganador sera el messiah verdadero que gane el derecho de luchar contra el dios de todo.
BladeBrave04: I was actually inspired by Zamasu, among other characters of this nature, to write Hazuki and his savior mentality.
SoutaAmetsuchi: Right. A few sacrifices but at least the girl is alive, albeit with no hands. Better than being dead.
Dragstorm rider: Everything turned out okay in this fight. For the most part. She held back her pain because she loves Hajime so much that she couldn't show him her sadness, since that would have made him even more depressed to see the only family he has left sad. Finally, the two brothers and the respective messiahs are about to fight to determine who gets to take a step forward in achieving their dreams. You're right. You have to move forward, despite how much it might hurt. Hazuki can't do that so he's stuck.
TheEmeraldMage: Only Tsubasa and Hibiki could have brought Setsuna back. They both are important people in her life. Miku not so much but she is important in purying her from the darkness. Yeah, Setsuna was on demon time during this fight. All of the Calamities are because it brings out their worst traits. So her bringing up Bragi and such was her trying to break their spirits. I'll be honest, I feel completely unable to kill one of the girls since I love them so much, and so far they've only been losing body parts. This might change soon, but yeah. Right, this next fight will be the longest so I have no choice but to make it a 2-part chapter so I don't overwhelm you guys too much and give you time to breathe.
Tenzalucard123: Finaly, Setsuna is back home. No hands, but at least she is alive and well. This will be good news for Hajime, who must take down the last remaining Calamity Rider, Hazuki.
Chapter 165
Duel on a Vanishing Planet - The Final Showdown
Ryuki and Loki seized each other up, both of them in their respective full transformations.
"So, that silver armor...and the lightning..." Loki mused, chuckling."Color me impressed. You guys sacrificed the puppet kid and used Thor's powers-"
"We didn't sacrifice him." Ryuki cut him off sharply."Tobias...offered his life to help us make the bridge to a brighter future. A future above the hell that you created. He's the reason we're here today, ready to fight and end this."
"Call it whatever you want, in the end, that's another person that has died for your sake. So many people had to die for you to get this far."
"Yeah...But I live on with their wishes in my heart. And what of you? You forced your way into people's heads and manipulated them." Hajime narrowed his eyes."Allister...Terunosuke...Chiaki...You discarded them when they were no longer useful to you. And you don't even care, do you?"
"Why care? They knew what they signed up for. All I did was give them an outlet for their negative emotions." Hazuki shrugged."Besides, is that so different from you? People have died for both of us. In the end, their deaths made us grow. So we're not that different in that regard."
"You're wrong. I am eternally grateful to my friends. I carry their hopes and dreams right here." He said, jabbing his thumb against his heart."I never forget them. Not even for a second. But for you, your friends were just a means to an end. People who used their hands to raise you higher. And it's their strength...what will help me put an end to your reign of terror."
"Is that so? But Hajime, does gratefulness without results really do anything? Sure, I used people. But the results are what ultimately matter. You're not winning this fight, so can you confidently say that their sacrifices are worth it?" Loki waved his hand dismissively."Besides, if you want to honor them, just give up. Let them live in eternal happiness in the new world. Why risk their happiness over your selfish desire to play hero?"
"I'm no hero. I already failed too many times to even consider myself one. But...before, I used to think my desires were selfish. As of now, I am fighting for the sake of those who dream for this nightmare to be over. They believe in me and deem me a hero. So as long as they believe in that, I have the obligation to meet their expectations." Ryuki placed a hand on his chest."I'm going to stop you. For those who are here...and for those whose death you caused. Including your friends."
"So, there really is no talking you down, huh? So stubborn."
"I could say the same about you."
"Fine then. All that remains for you...is death." Loki drew a card from his Deck, but Hajime was already a step ahead, scanning one through his visor as his body was engulfed in crimson flames surrounded by lightning.
Blaze Vent
"What the-" Loki's eyes widened upon seeing his counterpart shoot a fireball toward him. He had no time to create a portal, so he opted for jumping in the air and avoiding the attack.
However, once he looked up, he saw Ryki emerging from a portal similar to his, but red.
Strange Vent - Black Vent: Calamity Gate
Loki had no time to react as Ryuki slammed his fist across his face, causing him to see stars.
"That's for Hamaguchi and the pain you caused his family and Kirika!" Ryuki roared, grabbing him by the legs and slamming him into a building."And this is for Bragi and Elfnein as well as Miku-san!"
Ryuki clasped his arms together, combing his gauntlets, but before he could shoot his attack, a foot kicked his arms out of the way, causing him to misfire his attack. It was Loki, who had emerged from a portal, wielding a black blade with black flames.
Sword Vent: Laevateinn
Ryuki grimaced, making his aura flare up. Much to his dismay, Loki's blade absorbed his flames, fueling its power and causing Ryuki's Blaze Vent to run out."What was that?!"
"It's death. And it's time for some funerals." Loki swung his blade. Ryuki narrowly managed to combine his gauntlets and fire a quick attack to counter the slash. Unfortunately for him, his flames were being devoured, augmenting the slash's power and forcing him to retreat into another portal.
"So, you managed to master the utilization of my portals by copying them with your Strange Vent. You certainly are a wildcard." Loki mused."But yours are limited as that Chaos Gate of yours. Unlike you, I can use my teleportation ability at will. Like so..."
Ryuki opened his portal behind Loki, throwing a punch, but another portal appeared in front of him, absorbing his fist and opening behind him to punch himself. However, Ryuki ducked in time, avoiding the punching and retreating his arm from the portal before it closed. Loki clicked his tongue, going for a stab, but Ryuki avoided it, wrapping his armpit around Loki's arm, holding him in place. Ryuki headbutted him and kicked him away, charging a thunderbolt mixed with fire and wood, creating an elemental sphere and chucking it toward Loki.
'He's using other elements?! But he's not even using a Unite Vent!' Loki huffed opening a darker portal in front of him."Odin's Vault: Closed!"
The portal absorbed the attack, much to Hajime's confusion.
"What?! What happened?!"
"Hajime, Hajime. Surely you're familiar with Loki's ability to store attacks. I mean, it's what turned Miku into a murderer. What ultimately killed your precious freak of nature friend, Bragard's spawn."
Ryuki clenched his fist in anger.
"I have to say, you're strong. You took me by surprise. I imagine that's why you went full throttle at the beginning and tried to overwhelm me." Loki brandished his blade."Unfortunately for you, just because you beat Yomi doesn't mean you're anywhere near my current power."
"Wait, you know I-"
"Of course I do. It never occurred to me that you guys would just gang up on him. Not because it's a cowardly thing to do, but because I know you and him have a...complicated relationship, shall we say? And aside from your precious girlfriend and Yosuke Yanagi, no one had a chance to take him down. And me for that matter. Funny. You sure know how to pick the people you gotta fight."
"What can I say? I have a good judge of character." Ryuki frowned.
"And yet...I managed to completely fool you, did I not?"
"That was when I..." Ryuki shook his head."I trusted you."
"You know, funny thing, Terunosuke-san used to say this back then. People only believe in the version of another person they create in their heads. That's what happened to you. You believed I was this caring friend and then brother. You say you're a good judge of character, but you don't even know who you are."
"Maybe before I didn't. But now? I think I have a pretty good idea." Ryuki scanned a card through his Deck as a nine-rigged sword appeared in his hand.
Sword Vent: Emperorsword
"I'm the one that's going to stop you."
"Then show me." Loki kicked the ground, shooting himself toward Ryuki as they clashed their blades."The world you know is dead! At long last, salvation is but mere minutes away! Why do you still fight?! Your fight is done!"
Loki kicked Ryuki in the chin, launching him through a building. Both Riders drew a card from their Decks as Loki appeared from within a portal to intercept Hajime.
Zone Vent: Light Zone
Zone Vent: Flood Zone
A large bubble of water surrounded them, covering the feathers that Loki created, using them to teleport in between them.
"3 minutes and your Zone Vent will be history, I can promise you that!" Loki yelled, sending a slash of flames toward him.
"I'm the one who's going to destroy yours!"
Ryuki raised his hand, increasing the pressure around him to slow the attack down. But the attack continued, ignoring the high pressure and forcing Ryuki to parry with his sword.
'The Laevateinn...Its flames are stronger than mine. It's like they can ignore physics!'
"I got more for you, Hajime!" Loki cackled, sending several slashes around him, teleporting around the feathers to prevent Ryuki from moving. Ryuki scowled, parrying the attacks with his blade, using the water in his surroundings to increase his mobility by manipulating it.
"Odin's Vault: Open!"
Ryuki gasped when the attack he used earlier collided with him. Roots wrapped around his body, and the lightning electrocuted his body, sending him out of the bubble of water.
The Messiah of Chaos crashed onto the street, rolling on the ground as he fired fireballs from his gauntlets toward Loki.
"Oh, please. You'll have to do better than this." Loki snapped his fingers, creating a plethora of portals around himself, shooting spheres of darkness to counter his attacks. He once more sent a slash of flames in Ryuki's direction, but this one was bigger than the rest. He intended to use Hajime not being on his feet to catch him off guard.
Red Vent: Calamity Gate
Ryuki swapped places with Loki, forcing him to face his own attack.
"Tricky little bastard, aren't you?!" Loki blocked the attack with his own sword, attempting to absorb it once more. Ryuki scanned another card, immediately rushing toward him.
Booster Vent
Loki couldn't move while absorbing attacks, so he opened a portal to redirect Ryuki and prevent him from attacking him. Ryuki threw his sword above the portal, swapping places with it and avoiding it, and appeared above Loki.
He hammer-fisted him on the head, sending the Calamity Rider crashing to the ground, growling in annoyance.
Strike Vent: Emperorknuckles
Two twin gauntlets bigger than his arms were equipped to Ryuki's arms, rocketing toward his brother.
A shiver ran down Loki's spine, memories of being at the end of that attack screaming at him to avoid being hit. He opened several portals, sending hands of darkness to try and catch Ryuki. Ryuki grinned, dodging the arms gracefully, closing the distance between them. And before he could attack, he disappeared, being replaced by his sword.
"What-"
Ryuki slammed both of his fists against Loki's back, sending him flying into the sword and stabbing his abdomen before crashing through several buildings. However, Ryuki briefly saw a metal placed on Loki's back and his fist marks printed on it.
"He used Gai's Ultimate Shield to block!" Ryuki cried out.
'Impossible...How did he get so strong so suddenly...?' Loki conjured two wings of darkness, stopping his moment and gliding around."I can't let him get away from here alive. He couldn't even beat me while I had only the Ryuga and Femme armors let alone Ouja and Gai too. But now? He's keeping pace with me...How much can he grow...?'
"Hajime. I think I know what still ties you down to this world, even after Setsuna joined my side." Loki landed on a rooftop, glaring at Ryuki who floated below him."It's that woman, isn't it? Hibiki Tachibana. Your precious soulmate. I wonder...if Setsuna kills her, would that be enough to finally break you?"
"Keep her name out of your fucking mouth, Hazuki!"
"Yeah...that's dangerous, Hajime. For you to emotionally depend on one person. When that person can disappear in the blink of an eye. That's why I'm creating the new world, brother. Why pick the worst choice? Oh, I know. You just think you're better than me because you believe this is "morally wrong". Please, as if anyone cares about the morality of something as long as it gets the job done."
Instead of answering, Ryuki launched himself toward him, tossing his gauntlets away before drawing another card, and scanning it.
Sword Vent: Miracle Maker
"You're not better than me. All it would take is one bad day, and you'd be just like me." Loki jumped back, entering one of his portals and disappearing.
More portals opened around him, and Loki clones emerged, surrounding him from all angles and lunging at him. Ryuki wasted no time in engaging in combat with the clones. Punch and kicks were thrown, using his Divine Weapons to further damage the clones, converting them into black dust.
"Welcome, Hajime..." Loki activated another ability."To the ultimate game of shadow tag!"
Zone Vent: Gates of Babylon
Ryuki looked down, seeing the ground beneath him as a giant puddle of darkness. The streets below were covered in darkness, much to Ryuki's bewilderment.
'What? This is different from before.' Ryuki thought, smashing another clone into dust.'Last time he surrounded me with portals. But now it's in the ground?'
"I will drown you in darkness!" Loki cackled, jumping into the puddle below and disappearing from view.
'He's hiding! No good. I can't sense his chi with that stuff all over the damn place!' Ryuki merged his gauntlets, firing a potent stream of flames toward the area where Loki had jumped into. But his attack disappeared into the ocean of darkness, seemingly having no effect.'What the hell is this?!'
Out of nowhere, his attack was fired from underneath him and Hajime narrowly moved out of the way, crashing into a building in the process.
From the ground below, a blade of fire emerged from the puddle, heading toward the building where Ryuki was as if it were a shark. Ryuki ignited his boosters, flying out of the way. The blade circled around, heading back to Ryuki. He tried to punch it, but the attack was pushing him backward. Even his Divine Weapons were not having much effect on it.
'Must be because his Laevateinn is of Divine origin...' Ryuki noticed several clones coming his way, and on top of that, the attack was once more coming toward him.
"Hajime, happiness is not bought with a credit card nor is it a prize to be won. It's a treasure that humanity has long since lost the right to have."
Ryuki ignored his blabbering, concentrating on fighting the clones while simultaneously moving out of the way of the blade.
Shoot Vent: EmperorBlaster
Ryuki's right gauntlet disappeared, now being replaced by an arm cannon strapped on his arm, using it to blast away at the shadow creations.
"Just imagine for a second. A perfect world. Have you ever wished you could travel to the past to fix your past mistakes? Mistakes that could be haunting you to this day? I certainly have."
Upon dodging the blade, Ryuki realized there was a second blade coming his way, igniting his boosters to move out of the way while pushing the clones off of him.
Nature Vent
From his arms, wood was created and took the shape of branches that wrapped themselves around the clones, forming a chain of branches before setting them on fire with one attack, destroying a huge amount of clones in the process.
"I mean, it's normal isn't it?" Several clones began shooting dark spheres at Ryuki, forcing him to fly away. He noticed their shots were calculated, guiding him into the direction of the blades coming his way."Humans are not perfect. Of course, we're going to fuck it up eventually. But does a little mistake need to hinder our lives? Imagine a world where none of that happens. That everyone's life can be like a fairy tale. No more doubting. No more pretending we don't see things. I have the mission to become the ultimate evil to destroy humanity, and then revive it as I see fit to become the ultimate good. I was chosen for this."
"Chosen?!"
Hydro Vent
Ryuki aimed his arms at the ground, creating water from his palms and flooding the streets below him. The water slowed the clones that were emerging from the void, and using the water to create aquatic animals, Ryuki managed to stop the clone problem."Now it's just you and me!"
Sword Vent: Miracle Maker
Ryuki activated his blade as the 3 gems began to glow, causing his blade to be covered in a 3-color aura and clashing against the blades and dispersing them.
"You want a fake world where you get to dictate what's right and wrong! You just want to escape from reality because you can't cope with it! No one chose you to do this! You decided to do it!"
"It was a power given to me! I am the only hope for mankind."
Loki emerged from the darkness like a torpedo, heading toward the sky."No more wars! No more crimes! This world is rotten, Hajime! With too many rotten people! Someone has to do this!"
He immediately rocketed toward Ryuki, entering a portal before his little brother could counterattack and appearing next to him, kicking him in the face."On that island, when I met Loki all those years ago...I knew I had to do it. No...I was the only one who could. I understand what I was doing was evil...But..."
Several portals opened up, shooting beams of darkness toward Ryuki, who responded by activating an ability.
Guard Vent: Emperorshield
Ryuki was equipped with a circular shield, mixing it with wood, water, and fire to increase its strength as the attacks collided against him. He was pushed back, using his shield's ability to create an explosion of fire to try and stop the attacks, but a giant fist of darkness appeared from the side of a building, knocking Ryuki to the ground.
Several more fists appeared around him, punching him repeatedly.
"THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY! THE WORLD HAD TO BE FIXED!" Loki screamed as he appeared above Ryuki, raising his sword."IT WAS A PURPOSE GIVEN TO ME!"
Strike Vent: Calamity Kings
Two gauntlets were equipped to Loki's arms, larger than his arms, and immediately punched through a portal. Another portal appeared in front of Ryuki, shooting a beam of venom in his direction.
Ignite Vent
Forming two large arms of fire, Ryuki managed to stop the attack, only to see Loki charging at him with a large horn in his hand, piercing through his fire. He narrowly avoided being skewered, but Loki countered by smacking him with his gauntlet, sending him toward the water. He quickly spun around, cladding his feet with water and skating away, watching the darkness below disappearing as Loki's zone vent ran out.
"Only I could do..." Loki drew a card, immediately exploding into darkness."WHO ELSE COULD HAVE DONE IT?! AND COME THIS FAR?! WOULD THEY HAVE KEPT GOING?!"
Advent: Jormungandr Avatar
A dark huge snake appeared where Loki was, completely black with wide white eyes and two large wings.
"ONLY I COULD BE THE TRUE GOD OF THIS WORLD! YOUR INDECISIVENESS AND WEAKNESS...IT MAKES YOU UNFIT TO EVEN BE CALLED A MESSIAH!" The snake roared, shooting a massive beam of darkness at the Messiah of Chaos."I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN! THOSE WHO OPPOSE ME AND THE NEW WORLD...THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE TRULY EVIL!"
Strange Vent - Accel Vent
Using his augmented speed, Ryuki circled around the attack, becoming a red blur that Loki couldn't detect. He felt someone grab onto his tail, and when he looked down, saw DragEmperor grabbing onto him.
Cross Vent
After fusing with his beast, DragEmperor slammed the avatar of the World Seperpant on the ground. He raised his sword, ready to attack, but the serpent quickly shrank back to his Rider form and entered a portal. DragEmperor and Ryuki separated, looking around for Hazuki.
"Thanks for the fire, brother!" Hazuki swung Laevateinn, sending a huge slash of fire in their direction.
Shoot Vent: EmperorBullet
DragEmperor opened its mouth, shooting several meteorites from his mouth. However, like Ryuki's attacks, the flames were absorbed into the slash, making it stronger. The beast pushed Ryuki out of the way and it grazed them. Ryuki landed on the street after the water vanished, choosing to deactivate Abyss' ability.
"You are nothing to me! All that you are...IS A FAILURE!" Loki clad himself in darkness, shooting himself like a rocket toward Ryuki and trying to headbutt him. However, Ryuki immediately turned around, blocking with both of his arms, feet sinking into the ground as the attack started to push him away, slowly losing speed as he repelled it.
"You're wrong..." Ryuki grumbled under his breath as he started to come to a halt, much to Loki's confusion."All it would take is a little bit of selflessness, a little bit of decent, and..."
Loki finally managed to push Ryuki enough to cause him to fall. But before he could cheer in triumph, Ryuki placed both of his hands on the ground, delivering two powerful kicks to his stomach, and sending him flying into the air.
"...you'd be just like me!"
"H-how?! I had him on the ropes!" Loki grunted, watching as Ryuki flew past him, axe-kicking him on his back and launching him back to the ground.
"You just want to escape from reality! You want to turn away from the truth because you can't overcome it! I know how you feel! Don't forget we're brothers! I know you perfectly!" Ryuki roared, lunging at him as he swung his blade, forcing Loki to parry. But his strikes were stronger, causing Loki to back down with every attack. He kicked his left leg, causing him to drop to one knee, and received a knee to the face, forcing him to drop his sword. Loki opened portals to attack, but Ryuki was steadfast, slashing the arms of darkness in one swift motion and tossing his blade, choosing to punch Loki repeatedly in the stomach.
"I'm going to beat the shit out of you for all the pain and misery you have caused us!" Ryuki declared, each of his punches rumbling Loki's body, causing him immense pain. In a desperate attempt, he tried to slap Ryuki, but he bent his knees, dodging, and delivering a powerful roundhouse kick that sent Loki away. He recuperated, groaning in pain, and immediately flying away from Ryuki.
"I know you well enough to realize this! Every time you're scared, you start to back away to gain some distance!" Ryuki took off after the Messiah of Calamity."Face it! You're terrified of the idea of losing! You're desperate because I've become enough of a threat for you to start thinking of losing everything you worked for!"
'I can't believe this...' Thor smiled from ear to ear inside of Hajime.'He might win this without needing my help...!'
'It's all thanks to my fight with Yomi!' Hajime thought to himself.'I was able to grow exponentially thanks to our battle, and I was able to get a grasp of how beings like him and Hazuki fight. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have made it this far. In the end, he is going to be your Achilles heel again, Hazuki...'
Loki landed on a rooftop, skidding to a halt.'This makes no sense! We are brothers! We share flesh and blood! I have the power humans can't even comprehend! And despite all of that, despite him being younger, he...He has better genetics. He's growing exponentially at an alarming rate. I keep outputting more power but eventually, he'll overpower me! I have to end this now.'
"Hajime, you think you got me all figured out? You think I'm running from you?! You're wrong!" Loki entered a portal, coming out of another one next to it and flying toward Ryuki, brandishing Laevateinn in both hands."I am the one who will become the new God of reality! Not you!"
Ryuki went for a kick, but Loki moved out of the way, arching his back.
"You're not the only one who can copy powers." Suddenly, his neck began to stretch immensely, his armor changing shape to accommodate his metamorphosis."Biocopy: Subject Veles, assessed!"
"Mythical Beast Transformation: Brachiosaurus!"
Ryuki was swatted away by the long neck, and sent crashing through several buildings as Loki appeared behind him through a portal, his body returning to normal but a large horn protruding from his forehead."Mythical Beast Transformation: Unicorn!"
Loki shot a powerful beam from the horn, but Ryuki immediately dodged, flying out of the way as Loki moved his head, tracking down his brother while trying to hit him with the laser."Don't look down on me, Hajime! Remember, I was also created by the Divine Beast! I do too have that power, just like you!"
"What is this?! How is he doing this!" Ryuki continued flying away, seeing the laser getting closer and closer to him.
"My ability, mimicry, activates on those who died by my hands. Like so..." Loki extended his arm toward Hajime."Attract!"
Ryuki's eyes widened in shock, feeling himself pulled into the attack, causing a huge explosion to go off and for his body to rocket toward the ground.
"Biocopy: Subject Bragi Third Dienheim, assessed."
"Bragi's powers...and one of the Custodians that came to Earth..." Ryuki groaned, sitting up.
"I've recently gained his ability, just as Ragnarok was about to occur. Perhaps it's because of Loki? Who can say?" Loki folded his arms."Hajime, I wanted to talk to you about that."
"About what?" He huffed, picking himself up from the ground.
"If you think I want to get rid of Free Will, you're mistaken."
"Huh? But that's-"
"It's what Loki wanted. At first, I wanted it too. After all, no Free Will, no evil. But then it hit me..." Loki tilted his head."What's the point of becoming the supreme god of mindless beings trapped in their fantasies in their minds? Naturally, I am thinking with the mind of a human. So of course, Loki and I disagreed on that. I knew he had other plans and was keeping them from me. But as for me...I know what I want to do with the wish."
"I am going to become the absolute good. I am going to revive everyone that was killed after they were purified. So in a way, I am also doing what you're doing."
"What?"
"I will be the Supreme Overlord, ruling over all living beings. You see, with Free Will, humans can't stop being evil on their own. The flow of Calamity...eventually takes a hold on humans."
"Flow...of calamity?"
"Hajime, humanity, and by extension, every being in the universe cursed with Free Will is bound by the Flow of Calamity. Humanity, throughout history, has sought to blame their misfortunes and their evils on a higher power. They needed a reason, so looking at the sky and cursing at some supposed higher entity was their solution. That's how the Flow of Calamity was born. It's a concept that afflicts those with Free Will, tempting them to succumb to their selfish desires. It's the cause of all evils in the world. A natural flow that exists outside of all human comprehension. Even some Gods."
Loki clenched his right fist."I will gain control of the Flow of Calamity and control it at my leisure. I will make sure humans are finally free of evil and I will be the judge. Those who do evil deeds will be sent to the Flow of Calamity, sentenced to an eternity of pain and misery in this disgusting reality, away from my perfect one. That is the ideal world I seek. With that, humanity will finally find peace. No...not just humanity. I will free the entire universe. I shall become the Supreme Overlord! Ruling as the universe's most supreme being."
"Peace...you call that peace?!" Ryuki growled."That's no peace at all! You want to control people through fear!"
"And what's so bad about that? They'll know I'll be watching their actions. I will protect the righteous people, so they have nothing to be afraid of. That's the point, Hajime. I am the chosen God. And there is nothing you can do about it."
"I won't let you!" Ryuki kicked the ground, blasting himself toward Loki as he fired a beam of energy from his unicorn horn.
Using his Miracle Maker, Ryuki created a dome of wood and set it on fire, crashing against the beam and pushing it back. Loki splayed his arms, creating tentacles, and used them to smack the sphere of wood to the ground."Mythical Beast transformation: Kraken!"
Loki began slamming his tentacles on the ground as he cackled.
From his side, Ryuki opened a portal, emerging from it and trying to attack Loki.
"Repel!" Loki immediately sent Ryuki flying away as he fired several fireballs in his direction, which he dodged with ease."Let's see what else I can do with this power. Positive Harmony Karma Orb!"
"Oh, shit!" Ryuki gasped. However, nothing happened.
Loki blinked, looking at this hand."What? It's not working? But I copied his gravity abilities..."
"I see..." Ryuki smirked."You may have copied that, but you're nowhere near as smart as Bragi was. Your powers are limited. All the formulas, the calculations, and the computing needed to use that power...You just don't have."
"Whatever." Loki created two wings, one of darkness another of light."You're out of options!"
Ryuki clicked his tongue, merging his gauntlets and firing a beam of concentrated flames toward him. Loki tried using repel, but Hajime's attack was stronger than he thought, promoting him to move out of the way as he morphed into a pterodactyl."Mythical beast transformation: Pterodactyl"
Using his new extra wings, he started spinning around, shooting feathers omnidirectional as he headed toward his brother. Ryuki started shooting thunderbolts from his head, but Loki was spinning so fast, his attacks were being dispersed into the air."Shit!"
The red Rider immediately flew out of the way as the Messiah of Calamity cut the building cleanly in half, circling around.
Ryuki broke through a wall, landing on the 20th floor of a building, running down the halls as Loki chased after him, cutting everything in sight. Ryuki jumped back, swinging his blade clad in elements, and clashed against the disk of darkness. Ryuki infused lightning into his blade but was being pushed back by the attack.
'What the hell is going on-'
Suddenly, they went through another portal, and Ryuki was slammed into the ground with Loki pushing him down. He finally noticed what was going on. A feing glow of darkness was engulfing Loki. At first, he thought it was his fire, but the more he felt it, the more familiar it felt. It was the same as when the Messiah's power in him was prominent. It was countering the power of his own Messiah trait as well as Hibiki's Godslayer properties. His blade started to crack, and if it did, he was going to be sliced to pieces. He looked up at the sky and quickly drew a card.
Loki sneered, putting more pressure and nearly reaching Hajime's torso since he was now just holding him with one hand. But Ryuki managed to scan a card through his visor, immediately teleporting away and swapping places with a rock.
Red Vent: Chaos Gate
Ryuki wasted no time, activating yet another ability.
Shoot vent: Dragwyverns mk2
Several wyverns of fire, water, and wood appeared around Ryuki, immediately blasting away and surrounding Loki. Several dragons shot jetstreams of water, forcing Loki to repel and disperse the water. This was only a diversion, as the wood wyverns created branches that grabbed him from all angles, preventing him from moving. Finally, the fire wyverns shot themselves toward him at great speeds, but Loki activated his Laevateinn to absorb their flames. Once he did so, he released the flames from his blade, destroying the wyverns around him and finally freeing himself, just in time to punch Ryuki in the face as he was about to attack him.
"Hahahaha! Better luck next time, Hajime! But wait! There is no next time! DIE!" Loki raised his blade, charging the collected power to unleash it in one go.
"I don't think so! I have a surprise for you!" Ryuki opened a portal in front of him."Odin's Vault: Close!"
"What?! No way!" Loki immediately changed the trajectory of his attack, destroying the ground below them and making a massive hole. However, Ryuki merely entered his portal, appearing from another one in front of Loki, and slamming his fist against his face, causing him to drop his blade.
'H-he tricked me into changing the trajectory of my attack on purpose!'
"Gotcha! I can't use Odin's Vault, dumbass!" Ryuki sent Loki flying away, immediately chasing after him. Loki flapped his wings, sending several feathers in his direction, but Ryuki flew downwards and in the blink of an eye, kicked Loki on his back, launching him into the sky. Ryuki punched through a wall, grabbed onto a piece of rock, and threw it past Loki, swapping places with it and kicking him on his stomach, breaking his chest plate and causing him to cough blood.
"Now!" Ryuki quickly activated a card, summoning DragEmperor
"Finish it, Lad!"
Final Vent: Meteor of the Emperor's Will
DragEmperor turned into a sword as Hajime kicked the hilt, heading directly toward Loki, who countered with his own attack.
"Shit! I won't lose! Not to you! Not like this"
Final Vent: Ragnarok
Loki created a massive sphere of darkness, mixing with light, steel, and venom before hurling it toward the sword. The attacks clashed, and immediately, the area around them began to be destroyed. Both brothers roared, their determination and willpower motivating them to not give up. The sword finally managed to cut through the sphere, launching the separate parts in different directions before heading toward Loki, who simply jumped into a portal to evade the attack.
Sword Vent: Ouroboros
A long sword was equipped to Loki, thrusting it to stab Ryuki behind the neck. However, he sensed his Chi just in time, ducking out of the way of the attack and elbowing his brother in the kidney, stunning him. Ryuki then started to punch him repeatedly, not giving him a second to rest.
"You little shit!" Loki attempted to block his punches, throwing punches of his own but was overwhelmed by his younger brother, who continued delivering powerful and precise punches. He then landed a devastating blow on his chest, sending him crashing several streets away and crashing against a neon sign.
Ryuki landed on the ground, falling to one knee, panting.
"You okay, Lad?" Thor asked.
"Yeah...Just used a lot of big attacks too fast. I'm overheating." Ryuki summoned a bubble of water, putting his arm inside as smoke came off his body."This should cool me off."
"Hajime...You...I'm going to make you suffer, mark my words-huh?"
Loki gasped, looking at the sky. Ryuki followed his gaze and then noticed something. The portal was tiny in comparison to what it was before.
"What?! What is this?! What's going on?!" Loki cried out in confusion.
"The portal...is so small now..." Hajime realized.
'They did it! Everyone pulled it off, Lad!" Thor beamed in his mind.
"They did it..." Hajime reached for his communicator."This is Hajime to HQ! Do you read me?!"
"Hajime-kun!" Genjuro's voice boomed through his ears."Thank goodness you're alright!"
"Where are the others? What happened?!"
"We just received word from everyone." Genjuro said."All groups have defeated their respective opponents. As we learned, each time a Calamity is defeated, the portal closes more and more, and the demons are pulled back inside. As of now, you're the only one left fighting."
"Are the others alright?!" Hajime asked, almost too scared to do so.
"Yes. Injured but...alive." Genjuro replied softly, knowing full well his words would ease the burden on his soul.
Hajime gave a huge sigh of relief at that, feeling a weight being lifted off his shoulders.
"Wait...If the Calamities do need to be killed and I'm the last person fighting one..." Hajime slowly reached for his heart."Then...does that mean that-"
Out of nowhere, Loki flung a sphere of darkness toward Ryuki, hitting him in the head and busting his communicator."O-ouch! What the hell?!"
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Loki immediately took off into the sky, blasting away.
"Oh, no you don't!" Ryuki chased after him, immediately appearing in front of him and going back to engaging in a fistfight with him.
"Would you just piss off already?!" Loki blocked as much as he could, forced to summon several portals to create dark arms to restrain Hajime, flying past him. Ryuki roared, electricity coursing through his body and destroying the shadow arms, resuming his chase for Loki.
'Nightmare! Despia! Respond!' Loki frantically yelled, trying to communicate with his allies."Wei! Setsuna! Fuck! Are all of them dead?! But that's impossible!"
He headed toward the Qliphoth Tree, looking behind him to see Ryuki hot on his trail.
"I'm sick of you!" Loki raised his hand to create a portal, but to his shock, Ryuki's fist came through, punching him across the face and knocking his helmet away."How?!"
"For what you did to Setsuna..." Ryuki appeared from the portal, giving more punches to Hazuki's body and knocking a few teeth away."For taking her away from me and turning her into a murderer! I will..."
He twirled around, going for a horizontal spinning kick across Loki's right shoulder, sending him flying away.
"TAKE YOU DOWN!"
Hibiki entered through the door leading to the command center, suddenly joined in by Maria and Chris."Shishou!"
"You guys made it too." Knight also entered the room, followed by Kirika, Shirabe, and Raiden."Where is Tsubasa?"
"She...She lost her arm, so we sent her to the infirmary..." Miku lamented.
"Elsa-chan's arm got cut off as well..." Shirabe muttered, looking at her bloody hands."I...I killed...Wei-kun..."
"Wait, Hibiki-san..." Kirika's eyes widened."That blood...Did you...?"
Hibiki shook her head."We managed to save Setsuna-chan...We pulled Hel out of her but...we had to cut off her hands...She was too dangerous...One touch of her managed to disintegrate Tsubasa-san's hand and..."
"Don't worry. You did what you could." Yosuke reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder."However...You said you managed to save her? How?"
"We used a combination of attacks." Miku chimed in, clutching her chest."Using the Shenshoujing and the Godslayer's power, we managed to break the barrier between Setsuna-chan and the demon. I'm so sorry, Shirabe-chan...I...I could have saved Wei-kun and-"
"Please, don't apologize, Miku-san." Shirabe shook her head, grabbing her hands."You guys had your hands full. And...we weren't able to stop Wei-kun so there was no possible wait to do it...It's okay...At least he...passed away being himself..."
"Despia managed to temporarily break the mind control of the darkness of her heart." Maria supplied."Unfortunately, similarly to Wei-kun's case, it had too strong of a hold on her...So while she was still in control of her actions, she killed herself to avoid prolonging the fight..."
"Nightmare...Bragard...Is also dead. Thanks to Elfnein. Without her, we wouldn't have been able to win." Raiden muttered.
"Wait, where is Elfnein-chan right now...?" Sakuya asked, a worried look printed on his face."D-don't tell me she..."
"No, she's okay, but-"
"We can worry about all the details later." Knight marched over to the commander, observing the screen with him."We have to go help Adachi. Right now."
"Are you sure?" Kirika tilted her head."Look. Hazuki is running away from him. Blacky-kun has him against the ropes."
"Maybe so, but it's not over until it's over, Akatsuki." He shook his head."This is our last enemy. The culprit behind the destruction of humanity. We can't say it's over until this bastard is 6 feet underground. Wait, where is Kaburagi going anyway?"
"It seems..." Aoi typed a few keys on her keyboard, bringing up the estimated route he was taking."He's heading toward the Qliphoth Tree."
"Wait, Yosuke-san." Miku suddenly spoke up."We don't...have to kill him."
"Huh?" Knight scowled at that.
"We can purify him. We can-"
"Kohinata, I understand you dated him at one point. But he's a mass murderer. Look at the state of the world right now. He caused this. He doesn't deserve mercy."
"B-but we-"
"Wait, he's heading for the tree?" Shirabe's face suddenly turned pale."Wei-kun mentioned something during our fight...While we were unconscious, Elsa-chan heard that from him..."
"It's very unfortunate." Fenrir chuckled."Seriously. You guys never had a chance to win. Mortals can't beat Gods. The Qliphoth tree isn't just sucking the nutrients of this ball of dirt and water. It's also absorbing the energy used by everyone in their battles."
"What...?!" Elsa gaped
"And once the fruits grow and mature, we will consume them, gaining unimaginable power. Nothing in this universe will be able to stop us. And the new era of peace will begin!"
Knight immediately marched over to Aoi, sweating bullets."Please contact Adachi immediately. Tell him not to let Kaburagi near that tree!"
"We're trying but his communicator was damaged!" Sakuya cried out."We can't communicate."
"Fuck!" Knight cursed, rushing past the group."We can't let Kaburagi touch that tree! No matter what!"
The group immediately followed after them, all of them rushing outside to go back into battle, despite their condition. Unbeknownst to them, a figure saw them leaving and secretly followed them.
"Stop running, coward!" Ryuki screamed, shooting fireballs from his hands, attempting to hit Loki out of the sky."Give up! Wei is dead! So you can't use Fenrir's power to kill Odin! Face it, Hazuki! You lost! It's over!"
"Stop pursuing me, bastard! Don't think for a second that you have beaten me!" Loki's armor became bulkier, using Gai's power to increase his defense."I'm going to bury you here and now! Repel!"
Ryuki ignited his boosters, forcing himself through gravity and headbutting Loki in the face, knocking him back.
'Impossible! He just brute forced his way through that?!' Loki looked ahead. Just a little more until he reached the tree. However, he saw several lights in the distance heading toward them. It was SONG.'Damn it! This is going to drain me a lot, but I have no choice!'
Ryuki merged his gauntlets, firing a powerful beam of flames toward his brother.
"MYTHICAL BEAST TRANSFORMATION!"
A gigantic octopus eldritch creature appeared in front of the attack, blocking it with ease, towering over Tokyo, nearly the same size as the Qliphoth Tree. Using aligned its tentacles, aiming at the ground.
Ryuki gasped, whipping his head over to his friends."EVERYONE! GET DOWN! NOW-"
The creature began bombarding the ground below with energy beams from its tentacles, reducing the city to ashes and leaving nothing behind. Once he saw that his pursuers were not there, Loki returned to his Rider form, exhausted.
"That...should have done the trick..." Loki continued making his way to the Qliphoth Tree, eventually reaching it and standing on one of its branches. He limped his way over to a ripe fruit. The solution to his problems was there. He giggled like a little kid in a candy store, imagining how things would be once he got absolute power for himself."It's fine that the others die...Perfectly fine. In the end, only one being can become the master of all creation..."
"HAZUKI!"
Loki froze, looking over his shoulder to see Ryuki standing on the same branch, panting and wheezing, his armor broken in some parts.
"Why can't you just fucking disappear already?!" Loki grabbed onto the fruit, pulling it out.
"I must...defeat you...That's my role in this war." Ryuki solemnly said."What are you doing with that fruit?"
"Oh, this? This...is the final piece of the puzzle." Loki took a bite out of the fruit."And my key to victory. I win."
"No, you don't!" Ryuki lunged at him, winding his fist back. However, he was stopped by some sort of invisible barrier as Loki's body began to glow.
"Now begins the time for all living things to kneel before me." Loki was shot toward the sky, hovering over the tip of the Qliphoth Tree. Loki screamed, his scream becoming an echo as energy swelled. Ryuki was pushed back due to the intensity of his power, covering his eyes to shield them from the powerful light.
"What is going on?!"
(Play Shingeki no Kyojin - ətˈæk 0N tάɪtn OST)
"The fruit! It's powering him up! But how can that be?! He's...absorbing the Qliphoth Tree!" Thor bit his lower lip, bewildered by what he was seeing. Ryuki drew a card, scanning it through his visor, summoning DragEmperor.
Advent: DragEmperor
Both Ryuki and DragEmpoeror began shooting a volley of fireballs toward Loki to try and stop his imminent transformation. To their horror, the attacks completely disappeared before reaching him.
"Goddamn it!" Ryuki and DragEmperor merged into one, and immediately flew over to Loki, swinging their blade down.
Cross Vent
Each of DragEmperor's swings was in vain as the barrier around Loki completely kept him out of his reach. A pair of yellow eyes glared at the dragon, and out of nowhere, he was flung back, reverting to DragEmperor and Ryuki. A beam of darkness was shot from the light, launching Ryuki into the ocean. The Qliphoth Tree was now being absorbed by Loki as his transformation neared its climax.
Meanwhile, back in HQ, the rest of SONG panicked as the entire base began to tremble uncontrollably.
"What's going on?!" Sakuya yelled, holding onto his console.
"These levels of power..." Aoi's eyes widened in horror before their computers exploded simultaneously.
"It feels like the whole planet is shaking...as if it's afraid of what's about to happen," Genjuro muttered, a cold sweat dripping down his face.
The civilians in the outskirts of Japan were running around and praying for their lives as the buildings around them began to collapse thanks to the ground shaking with tremendous force.
"Did they...fail...?" Hibiki's mother covered her mouth, tears glistening in her eyes.
"We can't give up." Akira quickly hugged her."We have to believe in them until the very end. That's the most we can do right now. Just believe."
The sky began to break apart, and instead of its corrupted color, it turned into an endless void of darkness hovering over the planet. The light surrounding the tree died out, revealing the figure hidden within as it stepped out of it, immediately splaying out two wings and emanating a commanding presence. The figure was wearing ornate armor with intricate patterns, skull motifs, and metallic embellishments. Its wings are asymmetrical, with one side being a radiant white feathered wing symbolizing purity, while the other is a black, bat-like wing, emanating dark energy. He also had a helmet-like structure featuring golden horns or crests, with red accents and flowing, fiery hair extending behind as well as a flesh-like ring connected to his wings.
(The look is inspired by Chaos Angel, a card from Yugioh)
Radical Calamity, The Supreme Overlord
"All living things kneel before your new master!" Calamity bellowed, flying up, manifesting a plethora of portals around himself. The darkness around the planet began to spread out faster, reaching Mars and Venus. The darkness began to corrode the earth itself, making splotches of darkness across the planet visible from outer space. His portals began broadcasting his message, appearing on different planets. "This is a message to the entire universe. Heed the words of your new ruler!"
Here's where we'll be living things off for now. I decided to split the chapter into two since there's still a lot that needs to be added and I didn't want to make a super long chapter. So I decided to split it to not overwhelm you guys and let you process it. Happy holidays and see you next chapter!